What the World Would Be Like
by husker-fan-2006
Summary: After a conversation with Hermione one night, Harry has a dream of what the world would be like if he had never been born. Kinda like It's a Wonderful Life. COMPLETED R&R!
1. Serious Depression

Chapter 1 - Serious Depression  
  
On evening, Harry Potter and his two best friends were sitting alone in the common room one week after the term had started in their sixth year. Ever since the events in the Ministry of Magic last year, Harry's been nothing short of depressed. He longed to be a normal sixteen year old teenager who only had to worry about homework, quidditch, and...like any other teenage guy...girls. But, Harry Potter of course was not normal. He had escaped Voldemort five times, witnessed the deaths of a fellow student, and of his godfather, Sirius Black, who Harry had considered the next best thing to having his father, James, back. The one thing that had been on Harry's mind all through the summer, along with the mourning for Sirius, was the prophecy that Dumbledore told him about after the events in the Ministry of Magic. The prophecy made by the Divination teacher seventeen years ago that foretold of a boy with the power to defeat Lord Voldemort would be born at the end of the seventh month, to parents that had defied Voldemort three times. The Dark Lord would mark him as his equal, and either the boy or the Dark Lord would have to be defeated, for one cannot live while the other survives. Harry Potter is that boy. He hadn't told his friends about the prophecy, for fear of what would happen when he did. That evening, he was doing his homework, having a hard time concentrating, his mind constantly floating to other things that concerned him more. He was brought out of his trance by a sudden movement. He looked up from his Transfiguration homework to see his friend Ron get up to go tend to prefect duties. When Ron had left, Harry leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He took off his glasses and rubbed a hand over his face. His other friend, Hermione, said,  
  
"What's wrong Harry?"  
  
"Nothing." Harry lied.  
  
"Don't lie to me Harry. What's wrong?" Harry made a face. He hated the fact that Hermione could tell when he lied. He sighed and said,  
  
"Just thinking."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"I'm depressed." Hermione closed her text book, slid her books over so she could get a clear view of Harry and said,  
  
"Well, tell me about it, maybe I can help."  
  
"You can't help me."  
  
"Well, maybe I can. You don't know. You know that I always try to help you any way I can. Who was it that helped you and gave you advice with Cho last year?"  
  
"Thanks for putting salt on an open wound."  
  
"Sorry. But my point is, I can try to help you as much as possible. If I can't, I try to find someone who can."  
  
"Can you find someone who can bring back the dead?" Hermione looked at her friend sadly, and sighed. She said,  
  
"Ok, I guess I was wrong, that I can't help with."  
  
"Exactly, you don't know what it's like losing someone you're close to."  
  
"Yes I do, actually." Harry snapped,  
  
"Really? Who?"  
  
"You."  
  
"I haven't gone anywhere, Hermione." Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"Physically, no. But ever since that night in the Ministry, you haven't been the same. You act like you're off in a different world from the rest of us. Emotionally, it feels as though you're dead too. I know that nothing can replace Sirius, but I really think he wouldn't want you letting the rest of the people and things in your life suffer while you do."  
  
"It's not just about the fact that Sirius is dead that I'm depressed."  
  
"What is it then?"  
  
"When I tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone, and please don't start acting weird around me, all weepy and all."  
  
"I'll try not to get weepy, but you know me, I'm naturally that way." Hermione said, smiling a little, causing Harry to smile too. He said,  
  
"Do you remember that prophecy in the Department of Mysteries last year?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I know what it said."  
  
"How? I thought it was smashed?"  
  
"It's just like a record of the real prophecy, only the person who heard it when it was foreseen knows what it says."  
  
"Who heard it?"  
  
"Dumbledore did. He told me what it said, and it said, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."" When Harry finished, Hermione, still trying to take it in, said,  
  
"So, you're the one with the power to defeat Voldemort. Your scar is how he's marked you as his equal, and you have powers that he doesn't know, and your parents have defied Voldemort three times, and..." Her eyes went wide and had a scared look in them when she realized the what the rest of the prophecy meant.  
  
"and in the end, one of you has to kill the other?" Harry slowly nodded, and Hermione said,  
  
"Oh my God. I can't believe this."  
  
"It actually could've been Neville when the prophecy was made, but after the day my parents died, it for sure is me." Hermione tried to blink back tears, after promising Harry not to get weepy, but one got away and slid down her cheek. She looked down, and watched it fall on her book.  
  
"What are you going to do?" She said, looking up at him. Harry said,  
  
"I don't know yet, I guess I'll have to deal with it when it comes."  
  
"I understand why you've been depressed now. The fate of both worlds rests on your shoulders. If you defeat Voldemort, then it will be the end of evil. But if you fail...then it will be the end of all that's good in this world." They were silent, then Hermione said,  
  
"You sound like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy." Harry laughed, the first time he had truely laughed in a long time, and it surprised Hermione to hear it. He said,  
  
"Yeah I guess I do." Again, they were silent. Harry sighed again and said,  
  
"I wish this had never happened to me, I wish I could be normal."  
  
"You can't change the past, Harry. Most people wish that, but it doesn't do to dwell on the past."  
  
"I keep thinking what things would be like if I was normal. I'd be just worrying about homework, quidditch and girls." Hermione smiled, and said,  
  
"But look on the bright side, you have people who are there for you, care for you, and would do anything for you, you're not all alone." Harry decided to voice what he had been thinking for a long time,  
  
"I wish I was never born." Hermione suddenly became very stern, very much like McGonagall, and said,  
  
"Be careful what you wish for Harry."  
  
"Why, things would be better without me."  
  
"You don't know that. Don't wish for such things Harry, you never know when it might happen." Again, they were silent. Harry finally broke the silence saying,  
  
"I'm going to go to bed. 'Night Hermione."  
  
"G'night, Harry." Harry gathered his books and went up to his dorm room and set his books on his bedside table, and changed into his pajamas. He crawled in bed, and took off his glasses. He rolled over on his side, and went to sleep, the last thing he was thinking about was the last part of his conversation with Hermione.  
  
A/N: Well, what do you think?? Should I go on? Like I said in the summary, it's about a dream that Harry has seeing what life would be like if he had never been born. What are some of your opinions, I'm open to all comments. If I get enough people saying that I should go on, I'll post then.  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	2. The Dream

Chapter 2 - The Dream  
  
Disclaimer: I don't any Harry Potter stuff, I could never come up with anything that good.  
  
Nothing really important in this chapter, it's short, just setting up stuff for a third chapter.  
  
Harry suddenly woke up to find someone standing at the foot of his bed. Harry couldn't tell who it was for he didn't have his glasses on. He reached over for them, and put them on his face. He saw it was Hermione. He said,  
  
"Hermione, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be up here." She simply said,  
  
"I'm not Hermione."  
  
"Then who are you? Her evil twin?" The supposeable Hermione look alike didn't change her expression, she just stared at him with a stern look, almost identical to the one Hermione had on her face a lot. She said,  
  
"I am merely a spirit. Whenever I'm needed, I take the form of someone close to the person I am helping, hence, I have taken the form of your friend Hermione Granger."  
  
"She's not the person I'm the closest to, though."  
  
"I said just someone close to you, not the closest person. But anyways, she's a lot closer to you than you think, or she will be."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, defensively. The Hermione look-alike scowled and said,  
  
"Good Lord, Harry, don't get so defensive on me. Do you want to know why I'm here or not?"  
  
"Ok, sorry, why are you here?"  
  
"Let's just say, I heard your wish."  
  
"What wish?"  
  
"Your wish about never being born. It was serious enough for me to come to you in this dream and help you."  
  
"How are you going to help me?"  
  
"You will be given a wonderful gift, Harry Potter. You will be able to see what the world would be like if you had never been born."  
  
"It'd pretty much be like it is now, wouldn't it?" She didn't say anything right away, and her look gave nothing away. She merely answered later,  
  
"Come, Mr. Potter, the night is young. We have much to see." Harry stood up to follow the woman, and asked,  
  
"Wait, what do I call you, if you're not Hermione?"  
  
"Just call me Lily." Harry froze, looking at Lily. He said,  
  
"What, do you take the name of someone I long to know, too?"  
  
"Simply a coincidence. My name is just Lily. And it just so happens to be your mother's name too." Harry nodded, and stood by Lily. She said,  
  
"Take hold of my hand." She offered her hand, and Harry took it. He thought he'd never see the day when he would be holding hands with Hermione. Lily said,  
  
"Brace yourself, Harry." There was a jerk like traveling by Portkey, and Harry closed his eyes. He opened them five seconds later, and his jaw dropped. It was like watching his life in reverse. He saw the conversation with Hermione. Sirius falling through the veil. Cho coming to him underneath the mistletoe. Arriving at Grimmauld Place. Seeing his parents through Priori Incantatem. Voldemort returning to his body. Cedric dieing. The third task of the Triwizard Tournament. The Quidditch World Cup. Producing the stag patronus. Finding out that Sirius was his godfather, and that it was Wormtail that betrayed his parents. Winning the Quidditch Cup. Blowing up Aunt Marge. Killing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Dobby dropping the pudding in Uncle Vernon's house. Saving the Sorcerer's Stone. Becoming friends with Hermione. Fighting the troll in the girls bathroom. Getting sorted. Making friends with Ron. Finding out he was a wizard. Getting beat up by Dudley and his gang. Suddenly, he saw things that he couldn't remember, his parents being killed, seeing his parents hold him for the first time, the celebration when Lily Potter told her husband, James, she was pregnant. Seeing his parents again made tears come to Harry's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away before Lily saw them. He looked over at her, and he could tell that she saw him. They stopped going back through time, and everything looked as it did before Harry's dream, but little did he know how different it actually was.  
  
A/N: I know I started to get a little windy there with Harry seeing all his memories, but I decided that all those events have a sort of importence later on. Also, sorry for ending on a cliff hanger. So, what do you think?? Keep going, or no?? Don't forget to review, remember, I'm open to all comments/suggestions.  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	3. Strange Goings On and A Visit to Azkaban

Chapter 3: Strang Goings On and a Visit to Azkaban  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything  
  
Harry said to Lily,  
  
"So, how far back in time have we gone?"  
  
"We haven't gone back in time."  
  
"Yes we did, I saw my whole past flashing before my eyes."  
  
"That was your life being undone. It is the same time that you left. Only, it's the next day. Come, there's much to see." They ventured from the Hogwarts grounds to the castle, and went through the doors to the entrance hall. It looked pretty much the same, but Harry felt that there was a slight gloom in the air, as though something bad had just happened in the wizarding world. Lily said,  
  
"Just so you know, people can't see me, but they can see you. And if you need to talk to me, nobody will hear you." Harry saw someone coming down the stairs, and as he got closer, Harry saw it was Ron. Harry called his name. Ron looked around, finally spotting Harry. He said,  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Uh, I'm Harry."  
  
"Harry who?"  
  
"Potter? Harry Potter, I'm one of your best friends, I'm in Gryffindor, sixth year?" Ron was looking at Harry as though he was mad and said,  
  
"Sorry, but I've never heard of a Harry Potter. If you'll excuse me, I've got to be getting to breakfast." Ron left, and Harry watched him walk away and said,  
  
"That was weird." Lily said,  
  
"It won't be the only thing you think is weird." Harry went into the Great Hall, and headed towards the Gryffindor table to go sit down to some breakfast. When Ron saw Harry again, he leaned across the table to say something to a girl sitting across from him, who Harry recognized as Hermione. He walked up to them both, and Hermione said,  
  
"May we help you?"  
  
"You don't recognize me either?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't. Who are you?"  
  
"Harry Potter."  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you."  
  
"I'm Harry Potter, Harry James Potter, the one who Voldemort met his downfall in, I saved the Sorcerer's Stone from him in our first year, I saved your sister, Ron, from the Chamber of Secrets in our second year, I won the Triwizard Tournament and saw Cedric Diggory die, I saw my godfather murdered before my eyes. You still don't recognize me?" Harry said, his temper rising, seeing the confused look on their faces. Ron said,  
  
"Look, I don't know what you're playing at, but my sister died four years ago in the Chamber of Secrets."  
  
"You-know-who didn't meet his downfall in you, he met it in Neville Longbottom." She pointed to Neville, sitting down the table, having a more confident kind of look to him. Hermione went on saying,  
  
"And Cedric Diggory isn't dead, he graduated 2 years ago. And I'm sorry about your godfather. Who was he?"  
  
"Sirius Black." Fear crossed both of their faces, and Hermione said,  
  
"Sirius Black has been in Azkaban prison for fifteen years. He killed thirteen people with one curse."  
  
"He was only there for twelve years, he escaped in our third year. And he was framed, he didn't kill all those people or betray my parents by giving information to Voldemort, it was Peter Pettigrew." Ron said,  
  
"Peter Pettigrew is dead. Killed by Sirius Black."  
  
"No, he's not, he's an unregistered Animagus. He's a rat. His nickname is Wormtail. He betrayed my parents."  
  
"Your parents?"  
  
"Yes, my parents, Lily and James Potter. They're both dead." Ron looked at Harry with a confused look on his face and said,  
  
"No, only James Potter is dead. You-Know-Who killed him fifteen years ago. Lily's still alive, and from what I've heard, she hasn't really been the same since she watched her husband be murdered before her very eyes." Harry's jaw dropped. His mother was still alive. He said,  
  
"If Neville is the one to vanquish Voldemort, then why is my father dead?" Hermione shrugged and said,  
  
"I heard that it's the Potter blood. The Potter's were supposed to be very powerful wizards, and there aren't any left. You-know-who killed them all."  
  
"Why wasn't Lily killed?" It was Ron's turn to shrug and he said,  
  
"She doesn't have Potter blood, just the name. She's a muggle-born."  
  
"Are Neville's parents dead?" Both Hermione and Ron nodded. Still shocked by the information, left the Great Hall. Once outside, Harry turned to the spirit Lily and said,  
  
"My mother is alive?" Lily nodded, and Harry said,  
  
"But, why? She was killed fifteen years ago."  
  
"Your mother wasn't meant to be killed by Lord Voldemort, only you and your father were supposed to die. The only reason Lily died was because she sacrificed herself to save her son. And because you were never born, she didn't have to give her life."  
  
"All of these things those two were saying, they can't be true can they?"  
  
"Ginny Weasley is dead, for you were not born to save her. Cedric Diggory didn't die, and won the Triwizard Tournament. Voldemort never met his downfall in you, for you weren't born to have the prophecy made about you. Neville is the one with the power to destroy Voldemort. Sirius never escaped Azkaban. He was framed for betraying your father, and has been there ever since. He isn't your godfather."  
  
"Was it Wormtail?" Lily nodded. Harry was silent, then suddenly said,  
  
"Take me there."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Azkaban. I want to see for myself. I don't believe any of this."  
  
"I'll take you to Azkaban, but you will not like what you see." She grabbed Harry's hand, and they were instantly transported to a dark island with only a single building on it. They went inside, and Harry felt the familiar feeling of his happiness being sucked out of him. The dementor was leery about letting him see Sirius, but reluctantly led him to his cell. On the way there, Harry heard other prisoners screaming, and talking to themselves. The dementor stopped at Sirius' cell and Harry saw him sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. He looked about the same as he did when Harry first saw him in his third year. His hair was long, longer than it had been three years ago, and he had an even more sunken look to him. Harry said,  
  
"Sirius." Sirius opened his eyes up, and looked confused. He said,  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Harry."  
  
"Harry who? You look like my best friend from Hogwarts."  
  
"I know, I'm Harry Potter, I'm James' son."  
  
"James never had a son."  
  
"How do you explain me looking like him then?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe your a relative." Sirius snapped.  
  
"Would a relative of James have Lily's eyes?" Sirius looked at Harry's eyes, seeing that they were Lily's and said,  
  
"Probably some dark magic going on here."  
  
"Listen Sirius, I swear I'm James' son, don't you remember, you're my godfather."  
  
"I'm telling you, James never had any children. James is dead, and I was framed for betraying him."  
  
"I know you're innocent, that it was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed him. Why don't you show them your arm, and they'll see you don't have the dark mark."  
  
"It won't do any good. Nobody will care whether I'm innocent or not."  
  
"But you could get out of here. You'd..." Sirius, losing his temper, snapped,  
  
"What's it to you if I get out? What's it to you if I'm innocent or not? If you're who you say you are, why do you believe that I'm innocent, when the woman you claim to be your mother wants me to spend the rest of my life here for betraying her husband?"  
  
"My mother blames you too?" Sirius didn't answer Harry's question, he just said rudely,  
  
"Get out, leave me alone." Harry obeyed, and after he and Lily had left the prison, Lily said,  
  
"Well, now where do you want to go?"  
  
"Lily, take me to see my mother, take me to see Lily Potter."  
  
A/N: I feel depressed, no one wants to read my story. I've only gotten two reviews. I'll try to update as soon as I can, if y'all want me too, it just takes a while to mae this the way I want. So, please read and review.  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	4. Harry's Mother

Chapter 4: Harry's Mother  
  
Harry took Lily's hand again when she offered it, and they were transported to a place called Godric's Hollow, in front of a large house that looked like it housed an extremely large family, but only one person was living in it. Harry looked at Lily, and she said,  
  
"You won't like what you see or hear, Harry. Your mother isn't the way you always pictured her." Lily suddenly disappeared. Harry knocked on the door, and nobody answered right away. Harry waited awile, about ready to give up, then the door opened, revealing a woman with shoulder-length red hair, and bright green eyes, with a puzzled look on her face. She said,  
  
"Can I help you?" Harry said,  
  
"Mum." Lily looked at him with confusion on her face and said,  
  
"Mum? I'm not your mother, I have no children."  
  
"You have to know that I'm your son, what other person could look so much like James Potter and have your eyes?" Lily looked closely at Harry and said,  
  
"Oh my God, you do look almost exactly like James. But I never had any children."  
  
"Look, I'll tell you the truth, but I know you're going to think I'm mad."  
  
"Well, no offense, but I'll already think that."  
  
"I know, but you've got to hear me out. Ok, I was having this conversation with my friend Hermione Granger. I mentioned something about wishing I was never born, and then when I went to sleep, I woke up later and found a person looking exactly like Hermione standing at the foot of my bed, claiming to be a spirit that would show me what the world would be like if I had never been born. She says her name is Lily, and that nobody can see her or hear her but me." Lily looked intently at Harry for moment, then said,  
  
"I may be crazy, but I believe you. Come on in, and tell me the rest of this story of yours." Harry followed his mother inside and into the sitting room. Lily sat down, and so did Harry. Lily said,  
  
"So, you're stuck in this dream of some sort, correct?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And in your world, your name is Harry Potter?"  
  
"Harry James Potter, yes." Lily smiled sadly and said,  
  
"And in your world, I'm your mother, and James is your father?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ok, tell me everything that's different in your world."  
  
"Well, Sirius isn't in Azkaban. And..." Lily cut him off, her face contorting in anger and said,  
  
"Sirius Black isn't in Azkaban? The bastard who betrayed my husband, his best friend is free?"  
  
"Yes, but he was innocent." Lily calmed down and said,  
  
"Ok, I'm sorry, go on."  
  
"And..." Harry hesitated, carefully choosing his words.  
  
"James is dead in my world too," His voice dropped, and he said quietly, "and so are you." Lily gasped and said,  
  
"I'm dead? How?"  
  
"Voldemort killed you. There was a prophecy made before I was born, saying that I would have the power to vanquish Voldemort, born to a couple who had defied him three times. James died trying to fight him off, you died trying to protect me. You had the Fidelius Charm put on you, but your secret keeper betrayed you."  
  
"Yes, it was Sirius, wasn't it?"  
  
"No, your secret keeper was Wormtail. Peter Pettigrew."  
  
"Why would we choose him as our secret keeper?"  
  
"You did have Sirius as your secret keeper, but you changed to Wormtail because you thought that it would be the last person Voldemort expected to be your secret keeper. And he betrayed you. And killed thirteen people with one curse, and Sirius spent twelve years of his life in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit."  
  
"So, does Wormtail ever get caught?"  
  
"No, he still works for Voldemort, and everyone still thinks that Sirius betrayed you and dad."  
  
"So, he's still in Azkaban?"  
  
"No, he escaped in my third year to seek revenge on Wormtail, but failed. And he died last summer." Lily's jaw dropped and she said,  
  
"Oh my God. How long have we been dead?"  
  
"Fifteen years."  
  
"So you never knew us." Harry shook his head.  
  
"Where do you stay then?"  
  
"With my aunt and uncle. Your sister and brother-in-law."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me. Who, in their right mind would send you there?"  
  
"Dumbledore."  
  
"Ah, well, I'm sure he has his reasons. But, I'm sorry Harry."  
  
"Yeah, well, you get used to being ignored and treated like crap after a while." Lily sighed and said,  
  
"So, tell me about yourself, besides the fact that I'm your mother and James is your father, and that we're both dead." Harry noticed that Lily's attitude towards him had changed from uncertainty to eagerness, and she was anxious to learn more about her son that she had in another world.  
  
"Well, I'm in the sixth year, I'm studying to be an Auror."  
  
"Just like your father."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, James was an Auror in this world, I'm assuming that he was in your world, too."  
  
"I'm on the Gryffindor house Quidditch team, playing seeker, and am also captain this year too."  
  
"Like your father." Lily said, grinning.  
  
"Is anything about you just like me? Besides your eyes?"  
  
"I don't know, what were you like?"  
  
"A non-rule breaking, bookworm. To make a long story short."  
  
"You sound like my friend Hermione. She's not one for breaking rules unless she has to, and she's always at the top of every class." Lily smiled, and said,  
  
"You and her are best friends?"  
  
"She one of my best friends, Ron Weasley is the other one." Lily nodded, and said,  
  
"I remember Molly and Arthur in school, they were a few years ahead of me. They were those kind of people you could tell were destined for each other."  
  
"Yeah, Ron's my person to go to if I want to talk about Quidditch, complain about classes, etc., while Hermione's the one I go to for like advice, and those kind of deep thoughtful type of conversations." Lily, still smiling, teased,  
  
"Do I sense a little thing going on between you and this Hermione friend of yours, Mr. Potter?" Harry looked at Lily with a disbelieving look on his face and said,  
  
"Me and Hermione? That's impossible, it'll never happen."  
  
"That's what your father and I used to think about each other. He always seemed to think that someday we'd end up together, while I was thinking I'd rather die than go out with him." Harry, suddenly rememebering something, said,  
  
"Mu...sorry, Lily, last year I was in Snape's office for Occlumency lessons and I saw something in his Pensieve, and..."  
  
"Snape? As in Severus Snape?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"He's a professor? What does he teach?"  
  
"Potions."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry." Lily said, sympathetically, though still smiling.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted you, what were you saying about seeing something in Snape's pensieve?"  
  
"Oh, it was a memory of when he was in his fifth year after the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. exam, and I followed him out to the grounds, where he was tormented by Dad and Sirius. And you came and were yelling at them both, trying to get them to leave him alone. What made you go out with him later?"  
  
"In our seventh year, his ego shrunk, like, a lot. And he became this kind of romantic, caring kind of guy when he wanted to be. He stopped hexing people left and right, except for Snape, but I wasn't supposed to know about that."  
  
"You knew, and you didn't stop him?"  
  
"Harry, Snape always made sure to hex James everytime he saw him, so James wasn't just going to stand there and take it. And I wouldn't have wanted him too." Harry was silent, thinking about how his father was back then, when Lily broke into this thoughts and said,  
  
"Harry, don't judge your father and me and his friends by what you saw in Snape's memory. The only thing he remembers about James was his pranks on him, since that was all that James ever did to him. But he was different than that." Harry still looked unconvinced and said,  
  
"All my life, well, I mean, in the wizarding world, everyone always told me that I was just like my father, and it always used to make me proud to hear it. But then when I saw him in the pensieve, I never wanted to be compared to him ever again." Lily was looking at Harry just like a mother would to her son and said,  
  
"Here, come with me, I want to show you something, maybe it'll give you a better perspective on what your father and I were really like."  
  
A/N: How's that for the next chapter?? I finally broke out of my writer's block. I kinda left it at a cliff hanger, but I'll let you in on the title of the next chapter. It'll be called Lily's Pensieve. So you can kinda guess what'll be in it. So, as always, please read and review. I'm open to all constructive critisism. By the way, I still feel kind of depressed, nobody wants to review my story. Please R&R.  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	5. Lily's Pensieve

Chapter 5: Lily's Pensieve  
  
Disclaimer: Only own the plot (had to use parts word for word from the OotP, just the one part though)  
  
Lily got up and Harry followed her. She went into a room that when Harry saw it, his jaw dropped. It had thousands and thousands of books that would fulfill Hermione's wildest dreams. There were books on History of Magic, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Time Travel, pretty much any topic in the wizarding world you could think of. Harry glanced at the titles, and a complete set of books caught his attention. One was entitled, 'Magical Me' by Gilderoy Lockhart, another was 'Voyages with Vampires' by Gilderoy Lockhart, and another entitled 'Travels with Trolls' by Gilderoy Lockhart. Lily came back with a small, silver bowl in her hands, a pensieve, almost identical to Dumbledore's, only smaller. Harry pointed to the Lockhart books and said,  
  
"Don't tell me you fancy him too?" Lily looked at what he was pointing at, laughed and said,  
  
"Goodness no. I've never even read any of them. They're all full of rubbish. One of my friends gave them to me, and they've just sat there collecting dust." Harry remembered his set that he had to buy in his second year, was stuffed somewhere in his uncle's house, also collecting dust. He said,  
  
"You do know that he hasn't done a thing that he's said in thouse books, he's just taking credit for other wizards' accomplishments."  
  
"It wouldn't surprise me."  
  
"He was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in my second year, and thanks to your truely, he has no memory of anything at all." Lily's jaw dropped and she said in surprise,  
  
"You put a memory charm on him?"  
  
"No, he meant to put one on me, but the wand backfired and hit him instead."  
  
"Well, today he still comes out with about a book a year, full of crap saying he did all this stuff. But anyways, here is my pensieve. I have every memory, good and bad, about James and me, and our years at Hogwarts. Dumbledore gave me one of my own after James died, so it would help me get over the grief. I look at it every once in a while, it's kind of like a scrapbook that moves and talks. Shall we take a look?" Harry nodded, and he and his mother stuck their hands in. Harry felt the familiar feeling of being pulled into the bowl, and the first memory he saw was a red-haired girl sitting in a train compartment by herself, reading a book. Someone knocked on the door, and she said,  
  
"Come in." A girl with brown hair came in and said,  
  
"Do you mind if I sit in here? There aren't anymore places to sit."  
  
"No, that's fine, go ahead."  
  
"Thanks, I'm Samantha Davis by the way."  
  
"I'm Lily Evans. Nice to meet you, Samantha."  
  
"Nice to meet you too, but please call me Sam of Sami, I never go by Samantha."  
  
"Ok, sorry, Sami."  
  
"Are you in your first year too?"  
  
"Yeah, I was so shocked when I got my letter."  
  
"Muggle born?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'm half and half. My dad's a wizard, my mom's a muggle." Before Lily could answer, the compartment door opened again. Four boys came inside and stood looking at the girls. One had black hair that stuck up in all directions, expecially in the back, and hazel eyes, and was quite handsome for an eleven year old, the second also had black hair, but his fell over his face with a sort of elegance that made him look very handsome, and he had blue eyes, the third had brownish blonde hair, and fell about the same as the second boy's, and he had brown eyes. The three boys were about the same height, same build, but the fourth looked like he didn't belong in the group, physically. He was short, and had short brown hair and brown eyes, and had a nervous, unsure of himself look to him. The boy with the jet- black messy hair said,  
  
"Well, hello there. Went looking for an empty compartment, and find two beautiful looking girls instead." Both Lily and Sami blushed, and the boy said,  
  
"I'm James Potter, this is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew." Lily said,  
  
"Nice to mee you, I'm Lily Evans, and this is Sami Davis." Everyone shook hands. Remus said,  
  
"Do you mind if we sit here?" Both Lily and Sami shook their heads no, and the six of them talked as the memory started to change. Harry said,  
  
"By the way, where is Professor Lupin anyways?"  
  
"Professor Lupin?"  
  
"Yeah, he was my DADA teacher my third year."  
  
"Is that job still cursed?"  
  
"I'm beginning to think it is."  
  
"Nobody lasted longer than a year when I was in school."  
  
"Same here. So, where is he at?" Lily's expression darkened, and she said,  
  
"To tell you the truth, I'm not a hundred percent certain, but last I heard he was having a hard time keeping a job, for a lot of people know he's a werewolf, and I haven't really heard much from him. I wish I did though, he's the only one of James' friends I still trust to talk to." The new memory was at the Great Hall for the sorting of the first years. Professor McGonagall said,  
  
"When I call your name, you will come forward and place the hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Abbott, Thomas!"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Andrews, Michael!"  
  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
  
"Beadle, Elena!"  
  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
  
"Black, Sirius." Sirius went up with a jaunty spring in his step, confident of what house he would be in.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius grinned, as did his best friend, James.  
  
"Crabbe, Vincent!"  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"Clauson, Melinda!"  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Davis, Samantha!" Samantha went up and sat on the stool, her expressoin hard to read. She let out a sigh of relief when the Sorting Hat said,  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Dawes, Eric!"  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Evans, Lily!" Lily nervously went up to the stool. The Hat was placed on her head and she heard a small voice say,  
  
"Ah, Miss Evans, there's plenty of book smarts potential in your head, you'd be great in Ravenclaw, but there's also bravery and stubbornness here. It'd better be...GRYFFINDOR!" Lily went and sat beside Sami, and watched as the sorting went on. Lily and Sami both made sure to clap as Remus was made the next Gryffindor, and a girl named Kora Mitchell was made a Gryffindor, along with Peter. When James went up to be sorted, the Sorting Hat didn't make it's decision right away. Harry said to the Lily sitting beside him,  
  
"I wonder what the Hat's saying to him."  
  
"James told me once, I think it said that he would be great in Slytherin, for the potential greatness and causing of mischief. But he wanted to be in Gryffindor, so that's where he was placed."  
  
"The Hat almost sorted me into Slytherin too, but I asked not to be placed there."  
  
"Must be that Potter blood in you."  
  
"Well, you were a Gryffindor too."  
  
"True, but I was almost put into Ravenclaw, not Slytherin." Finally the Sorting Hat yelled,  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" And James stepped off the podium, grinning from ear to ear and joined Sirius, Remus and Peter. Dumbledore said his beginning of the year speech, the feast began, and the memory changed. It was the day before the start of second term, and Lily sat by the window, watching the snow fall, reflecting off the moonlight. James came down the stairs of the boy's dormitory and came up behind Lily and covered her eyes, saying,  
  
"Guess who!" Lily jumped, and knowing it was James said,  
  
"Let me go."  
  
"Not till you guess." Lily said, temper rising,  
  
"Let me go James." James put his hands down and sat next to Lily. Lily, looking irritated that she had such unwelcome company, said,  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Nothing, just saw you sitting here by yourself and decided to come join you."  
  
"How do you know I wanted company."  
  
"Everybody loves company. 'Specially so fine company such as myself." Lily laughed mockingly and said,  
  
"Potter, you would be one of the last people on my list of fine company."  
  
"Look, Evans, I'm sorry for the prank."  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"No, really, I am. I have to admit, it was pretty damn funny, but I'm still sorry." Lily didn't reply. James said,  
  
"Oh come on, Evans, you know you love me."  
  
"No, Potter, I don't, believe me, I'll hate you till the day I die." The memory changed, to the autumn of Lily's sixth year. Her best friend, Sami, came through the portrait hole, looking angry enough to kill. She came and sat by Lily, who put her book down and said,  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I hate Sirius."  
  
"What did he do this time?"  
  
"Honestly, what is the record for a relationship for him? A week? Two days?"  
  
"Told you it wouldn't last. Sirius has never kept a girlfriend longer than a week. I told you not to go out with him."  
  
"I know. But he's hot." Sami whined. She smacked a pillow and said,  
  
"Gosh, why do all the hot guys have to be such jerks?" Lily shrugged, and Sami said,  
  
"Of course then I have to go for the biggest player in school."  
  
"Want me to smack him for ya?"  
  
"Ooh, I'd like to see that. Public humiliation."  
  
"It won't do much good to humiliate him, he and Potter will just turn it into a joke."  
  
"Smack them both then. See, if you smack James, it'll probably embarass him a tiny bit because it'll be from the one he wants and can't have."  
  
"And never will have, I might add."  
  
"You should go out with him, you two would be great together." Lily laughed and said,  
  
"You're crazy. The only guy that even measures to Black in short relationships is Potter. I'm not that stupid."  
  
"So, you're calling me stupid, now?" Sami said teasing.  
  
"Well, not stupid, foolish, for not listening to me when I told you not to go out with Black, that it'd only end up in heartbreak."  
  
"Ok, I admit you were right. But I still think that maybe James'll be different with you."  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"Well, you're different than all the girls he's gone out with. You're just as stubborn as he is, and you can tell he hates it."  
  
"And all we'd do all the time is fight, that's what we do now, why tag a relationship onto it?"  
  
"You know, speaking hypothetically, if you...IF you two ever got together, and it all works out and everything, think about your children. With his temper and yours, I'd hate to be around that kid when he/she is pissed."  
  
"Well, it'll never happen, so you don't have to worry about it." The memory changed, to in the common room later that day, when Sirius, James, Remus and Peter, were sitting at a table, heads together, planning the next Maurader's prank. Lily worked up her courage, and went across the room over to them. James saw her coming, and said,  
  
"Oy, Evans, finally come to your senses about going out with me?"  
  
"Keep dreaming Potter."  
  
"Oh, I will."  
  
"Actually, I need to talk to Sirius." James said,  
  
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're going out with him? I'll kill him if you do." Sirius grinned and said,  
  
"What can I do for ya, Evans?"  
  
"My friend Sami wanted me to give you something."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah." She smacked him across the face, trying to keep from smiling at the surprised look on his face. James, Remus and Peter all brust out laughing, and Lily tossed her hair, and turned and left. Sami was waiting for her, with the biggest grin Lily had ever seen.  
  
"Bloody brilliant, Lily."  
  
"Did you see his face?"  
  
"Classic, I'll remember it forever." Both she and Lily laughed, and later that night, Sirius came up to them and said,  
  
"Sami, can I talk to you?"  
  
"I've got nothing to say to you Black."  
  
"But I do. Please? Come with me." Sami reluctantly got up, and followed Sirius to the window. Lily looked back over at them ten minutes later, to find them making out like they had never broken up. The memory changed, and present day Lily said,  
  
"Sami always had a weak spot for the Black charm. She couldn't resist it." Harry smiled, and asked,  
  
"Where is she now?"  
  
"She lives in Diagon Ally, she's the one that gave me all the Lockhart books. She fancies him a lot." The memory started to come into focus and Lily said,  
  
"By the way, these memories aren't in cronological order, in case you hadn't noticed."  
  
"I noticed." The memory was the first that looked familiar to Harry. It was the scene that he saw in Snape's pensieve. Only this time it was from Lily's point of view. She was sitting peacefully by the lake with her friends, all of them had their shoes in hand and feet in the water. They were talking about the latest Quidditch game Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Lily laughed at her friend Melinda's point of view of the spectactular catch of the snitch by the Gryffindor seeker, James Potter, which she made sound funnier than it looked. Lily heard a noise of someone yelling a curse, and turned her head towards the voice. She saw James and Sirius with wands out, standing over Severus Snape who was showing the signs of being under the Impediment Curse. Lily sighed, got up, left her shoes next to Sami and went over to where the fight was going on. She heard James say,  
  
"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" Sirius said,  
  
"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment, there'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Everyone laughed and Snape said,  
  
"You-wait, you-wait..." Sirius said,  
  
"Wait for what? What are you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?" Snape swore and tried to curse James and Sirius, but Lily couldn't hear what he was saying. She did hear James snap,  
  
"Wash out your mouth, Scourgify." Lily reached the scene just as Snape had pink soap bubbles coming out of his mouth. Lily stepped in and yelled,  
  
"Leave him ALONE!" Both Sirius and James turned, James' hand going to his hair. At James' motion to his head, the present day Lily laughed and said,  
  
"God, I always used to hate it when he did that." James said,  
  
"All right, Evans?"  
  
"Leave him alone, what's he ever done to you?" She was glaring at James with the purest hate, a look that would make the bravest man in the world cower in a corner. James said,  
  
"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..." Everyone laughed, except for Lily. She said, still glaring,  
  
"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."  
  
"I will if you'll go out with me, Evans. Go on...go out with me, and I'll never lay a hand on old Snivelly again." Lily said,  
  
"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid." Sirius clapped his best friend on the back and said,  
  
"Bad luck, Prongs." He turned to Snape and shouted,  
  
"OY!" Snape had picked up his wand and sent a spell straight at James, and James' hand instantly went to his face, and feeling the blood from the gash, he whirled around and sent a spell that turned Snape upside down, revealing to all his skinny legs and graying underpants. Everyone laughed and cheered, except for Lily, though she looked about ready to crack a smile. Instead she said,  
  
"Let him down." James said, with a little mocking bow,  
  
"Certainly." Snape was on the ground again in a heap, and Sirius aimed another spell at him, making him straight as a board. Lily yelled,  
  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She pulled out her wand and pointed it at James and Sirius. They looked at it, and took a step back. James, all charm forgotten, pointed his wand at Lily and said,  
  
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you."  
  
"Take the curse off of him then!" James sighed, then reluctantly lifted the curse. He said to Snape,  
  
"There you go, you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus." Snape snapped,  
  
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Lily turned to him and said,  
  
"Fine, I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash those pants if I were you, Snivellus." Lily said coldly, putting emphasis on the nickname the Mauraders had given him, which he hated with a passion, just as much as the people who gave it to him. James pointed his wand at Snape, eyes flashing dangerously with anger,  
  
"Apologize to Evans!" Lily turned to him and said,  
  
"I don't need you to make him apologize, you're just as bad as he is..."  
  
"What? I'd NEVER call you a -- you-know-what!"  
  
"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down the corridors hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can--I'm surprised your broomstick can even get off the ground with your fat head on it. You make me SICK." She turned and walked away, not looking back.  
  
"Evans! Hey, EVANS!" Lily came back to the lake, and all the girls were staring at her. She said,  
  
"What?" Sami said,  
  
"Lily, you need some anger managment."  
  
"Well, if some people would stop being such asses, then I wouldn't get so angry." Melinda said,  
  
"You know, I have a theory. Did you know that 50% of the time that people who fight all the time in the end will end up together. So, I'm predicting that Lily and James will end up together, hence the fact that they always fight." (A/N: I didn't just come up with that, there's this guy and girl in my class that are always fighting with each other, and my World History teacher said one day that at the school he was teaching before mine, there was this guy and girl that always fought, and that when they always said they wouldn't end up together, and he said he just received an invitation to their wedding a while ago. So we're all waiting for after we've graduated to be receiving a wedding invitation to their wedding. I'd laugh like no other if we did. Anyways, sorry, I just wanted to share that.) Lily said,  
  
"God help me if I end up with James Potter."  
  
"I could see Lily marrying James." Sami said, nodding knowingly.  
  
"I'll only marry James when hell freezes over." Melinda said,  
  
"That would be interesting to see hell freeze over." Sami said,  
  
"Well, give it a few years and you'll see it." She saw the look Lily was giving her and said,  
  
"Oh come on, Lily, you know we're just joking with you." The memory changed to Lily's seventh year, and everyone was talking about the first Hogsmeade weekend on Halloween. Lily was sitting on an overstuffed armchair, legs curled up next to her, reading a book. Sami and Melinda, like everyone else, were talking about the upcoming weekend. Sami was talking about going with Sirius, and Melinda interrupted her saying,  
  
"You know, you hold the record for the only girl who's kept Sirius for over a week. Even over a month." Sami smiled, and said,  
  
"I know, I'm a miracle worker." Melinda said,  
  
"Now all we need is for James to settle down." They both looked at Lily, who, sensed them looking at her, looked up. She said,  
  
"Forget it." Sami said to Melinda, just as though Lily wasn't there,  
  
"She's so stubborn isn't she?"  
  
"I know, she and James would be perfect for each other."  
  
"Those Potter and Evans tempers, and just think, if they got together, how beautiful would their kids be? His looks and her eyes? Kids'll be heartbreakers."  
  
"And talented too, they're both at the top of the class. And brave, that'd be the Potter genes there. Lily's not very gutsy." Lily rolled her eyes, ignoring them, trying to read. The present day Lily looked at Harry, and said,  
  
"Yes, you have your father's looks, my eyes, do you have a short temper?"  
  
"Sometimes." Harry said, laughing.  
  
"I'm sure you're probably very talented, especially if you're in Gryffindor, and are you brave?" Harry thought about it, then nodded, and Lily said,  
  
"You are James and my son then." They turned back to the memory to hear Sami say,  
  
"Lily just needs to forget the past, suck it up and loosen up a bit when James asks her out, and actually accept." Lily got tired of hearing them talk about her as though she wasn't there, slammed her book shut, sighed and got up and went to sit by the window. Ten minutes later, Lily saw a finger come from behind and land on the tip of her nose. She pulled her head back and tried to focus on whose hand it was, but it moved. She turned in her chair and saw Sirius standing behind her. He said,  
  
"I'm supposed to pass a message to you."  
  
"From who?"  
  
"You'll find out, but you're supposed to go to the Astronomy Tower in ten minutes." Lily sighed and said,  
  
"What does he want this time?"  
  
"Trust me on this, Evans. You want to go talk to him, and this time, consider what he's asking, and..." Sirius said, putting a hand up to stop the words about to come out of Lily's mouth.  
  
"Actually listen to him. Don't just get angry and not take to heart what he's saying." Lily sighed again and said,  
  
"What if I refuse to go?" Sirius pulled his wand out and pointed it at her, grin on his face.  
  
"I'll make you go." Lily whipped her wand out and said,  
  
"You hex me, I'll hex you." Sirius, still grinning, said,  
  
"Ah, I have you outnumbered, Lily."  
  
"How?" Sirius lifted his hand and beckoned behind him. Remus, Peter, Melinda and Sami came to join Sirius. Lily sighed, knowing that with the odds being five to one, she didn't have any choice but to go meet James.  
  
A/N: Ok I have to stop this chapter here, it's starting to get long. I'll try to update ASAP. While you're waiting, you could click that little button on the bottom of the screen and review. ; )  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	6. The Choice

Chapter 6 - The Choice  
  
Lily climbed out of the portrait hole and headed up to the Astronomy Tower. She saw out the window that in a little while the sun would set. Frustrated that she'd miss it for she had to meet Potter, she kept going up to the Tower. When she got up there, right away she didn't see anything, and after waiting for 30 seconds, James came out of the shadows, making Lily jump. She sighed and said,  
  
"I was told you wanted to talk to me?"  
  
"Yes, are you going to listen to me? Or are you just going to stand there with that annoyed look on your face like you have now?" Lily said,  
  
"I know what you want to talk to me about."  
  
"Really? So you've picked up on reading people's minds then? Impressive, especially who hates Divination."  
  
"I can't read people's minds, I just sense this, and knowing from experience, I know what you are going to ask me."  
  
"Ok, if you're so smart, what am I going to ask you?"  
  
"You're going to ask me to go with you to Hogsmeade this weekend." James said,  
  
"No, actually, I was going to ask you to go on a broom ride with me."  
  
"Why would you want to do that?"  
  
"Because you won't go out with me for anything else, so I thought we'd do something that nobody knows about, so they won't say you're a hypocrite."  
  
"What everyone else says is the least of my worries."  
  
"Then what worries you about going out with me?"  
  
"You."  
  
"Me? What, are you scared of me or something?"  
  
"No, I'm scared that if I do fall for you, that the James Potter ways will kick in and you'll dump me within the week for some other girl."  
  
"What makes you think I'd do that, Lily?"  
  
"From seeing it happen to other girls around me. All those girls who fall for your charms and then are totally heartbroken when you dump them. You and Sirius both are known for being the "players" of the school, and your relationships only lasting for a week or less."  
  
"If you're going to compare me with Sirius, then you'll also remember that he's been going out consistently with your best friend since 6th year?"  
  
"Your point?"  
  
"He can change, what makes you think I can't?" Lily opened her mouth, ready to say something back, but couldn't think of anything and closed it. James said,  
  
"See, you don't know that I can't change."  
  
"But even if we did go out, when we break up, I don't know how I'd feel after that."  
  
"What makes you think we'll break up?"  
  
"C'mon, think about it, we're Lily Evans and James Potter, what are the chances of us ending up together? We can't even have a conversation without fighting with each other."  
  
"We're having one right now and not fighting." Lily again, realized he was right. She looked at the floor and said softly,  
  
"I don't want to go out with you because I'm afraid of getting hurt." James stood in front of her and tilted her head up with his finger. He looked into the emerald green eyes that were filled with tears and said,  
  
"I would never hurt you, Lily." He leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips. Lily feebly smiled and James said,  
  
"You've stopped to watch the sunset here before, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Have you ever seen one from the air?"  
  
"No." James got his broom and placed it next to him, and it sat immobile ready for him to mount. Lily looked uneasily at it, while James got on the broom. Lily said,  
  
"I'm not the best on brooms."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall. So, how about it?" He held out a hand for her to take, and hesitantly she took it. She climbed on the broom and sat in front of James. James kicked off the ground, taking them into the air, high above the ground. As soon as the broom took flight, Lily's body tensed, clearly not the most comfortable on a broom. James felt her body tense, and slowed down. He said,  
  
"You alright?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Scared?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Your in good hands. I won't let you fall."  
  
"I know, but I'm still scared." James looked around at Lily's face and saw that she had her eyes closed, refusing to look around her. James came to the place where he wanted to be, and stopped. He said,  
  
"Lily, open your eyes, you'll miss it."  
  
"Miss what?"  
  
"Just open your eyes." They were hovering over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, looking out to the west. The reddish-orange sun was half way into the horizon, sinking every second. Lily gasped at the beauty of it, the clouds pink and purple swallowing the rays of the sun.  
  
"Oh, my God, it's so beautiful!" Lily said in awe. James smiled and Lily said,  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in all my life."  
  
"Now you know how I feel everytime I see you." Lily smiled, taking in the beauty of the sunset. She said,  
  
"James, I don't think I'll ever forget this night." James nodded, and a song came to Lily's head. She sang softly,  
  
"A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime, for a moment like this. Some people search forever, for that one special kiss. Oh I can't believe it's happening to me. Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this." Her voice faded out, and James said,  
  
"Keep goin'." Lily laughed and said,  
  
"No, I sound like crap."  
  
"No, you sound beautiful. I've never heard you sing before. Go on, keep going." Lily took a deep breath and thought about the words for a little bit and then sang,  
  
"What if I told you, it was all meant to be?  
  
Would you believe me? Would you walk away?  
  
It's almost that feeling, we've met before.  
  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
  
When I tell you love has come here and now.  
  
A moment like this  
  
Some people wait a lifetime  
  
For a moment like this  
  
Some people search forever  
  
For that one special kiss  
  
Oh, I can't believe its happening to me  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
  
Everything changes but beauty remains  
  
Something so tender, I can't explain.  
  
Well I may be dreaming, but till I awake  
  
Can't we make this dream last forever  
  
And I'll cherish all the love we share  
  
For a moment like this  
  
Some people wait a lifetime  
  
For a moment like this  
  
Some people search forever  
  
For that one special kiss  
  
Oh, I can't believe its happening to me  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.  
  
Could this be the greatest love of all  
  
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall  
  
So let me tell you this...  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment...like this  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
  
Some people search forever...  
  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this...  
  
oooohh...like this." Lily finished singing, and leaned against James. As the sun sank completely into the horizon, Lily turned her head to look at James. They stared into each other's eyes, then finally leaned in and kissed. Lily put her hand behind James' head, and they sat in the air, kissing a long and passionate kiss. Finally, Lily pulled away and she said,  
  
"We'd best be getting back." James nodded, and they flew back to the castle. Harry looked at the present day Lily and saw she was crying, yet smiling. She looked over at Harry and said,  
  
"I've never forgotten that night." The memory changed to after Lily and James had left Hogwarts. They were in a church, holding each other's hands. James was dressed in a tux and Lily in a long white dress. The pastor said,  
  
"Do you James, take Lily to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, honor, and cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"  
  
"I do." James said with a grin.  
  
"Do you Lily, take James to be your lawful wedded husband, to love, honor, and cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"  
  
"I do." The best man, Sirius, handed James the ring, and he placed it on Lily's finger. The present day Lily turned it on her finger, not realizing that she was. The pastor in the memory said,  
  
"By the power invested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." He said with a grin. James leaned in and kissed Lily, and the congregation stood and applauded. The newly married couple pulled apart, and smiling, walked back down the aisle and out of the church. Just as the memory was about to show the reception, the spirit Lily came and sat beside Harry. Harry looked over and said,  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"Right here, you just couldn't see me."  
  
"Well, what do you need?"  
  
"It's time to go."  
  
"No, I don't want to go. I've never spent time with my mother before."  
  
"There still is much to see." She took Harry's hand and they were transported to a cheap part of London. Harry said,  
  
"Why are we here?"  
  
"You're going to visit a friend of your mother and father's." Harry, not comprehending who it was, looked at Lily with a questioning look on his face. She said,  
  
"Think about it. He's more your father's friend than your mother's, but he's still one of her friends. Think about it, Sirius is in Azkaban, you saw him already, Peter is with Voldemort, serving his master, who's left?" Realization dawned on Harry. Knowing that Remus wouldn't recognize him, said,  
  
"I can't speak to him, I know he won't know who I am."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"How is he affected by my not being born? Is he still part of the Order?" Lily nodded, and said,  
  
"He is one of the ones who isn't really affected by you never being born, but he, like Sirius, considers you to be just like your father. Like your the next best thing to having him back. I believe that when Sirius died, that he took up the role of godfather, am I correct?" Harry nodded, and Lily said,  
  
"I'm afraid if you speak with him, you'll find that he's not the same person you remember. His personality has changed ever since James died and Sirius sent to prison. He's the only true Maurauder left, especially with Wormtail working for Voldemort. I guess you could kind of say he's in a life long depression. He has a hard time keeping jobs, because of the fact that he's a werewolf." Harry looked at the small house sadly, and suddenly, the door opened, and Remus came out carrying a bag of trash. He saw Harry and he stopped. He looked closely Harry and said,  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Harry."  
  
"Harry who? And what are you doing outside my house?"  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm Harry Potter."  
  
"Potter? As in James Potter?"  
  
"Yes. He was my father." Remus shook his head and said,  
  
"James and Lily never had kids."  
  
"I know, I know, it's a long complicated story."  
  
"Well, I've got time."  
  
"You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Try me." Harry sighed, and went into his whole story with how he was in a dream that he was never born.  
  
"And I really am Lily and James' son in my world." Remus was looking at Harry as though he was mad. He said,  
  
"You're right, I don't believe you, I think you're completely mad."  
  
"I'm telling the truth, I'm Harry James Potter, I'm sixteen years old. I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I'm in Gryffindor on the house Quidditch team, and I'm also captain. I have two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. You were my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher my third year, you taught me how to perform a Patronus Charm." Remus shook his head and started to go back to his house. Harry said,  
  
"You want proof? Ask me anything. Ask me anything that only James' son would know."  
  
"Ok, how does the Maurauder's map work?"  
  
"You tap it with your wand and say, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' And to wipe it clean, you tap it and say 'Mischief managed'."  
  
"How did the Maurauder's get their nicknames?"  
  
"You're a werewolf, so therefore you're name is Moony. Peter is a rat Animagus and is called Wormtail, Sirius is a dog so he is called Padfoot, and James was a stag, hence the name Prongs." Still unconvinced, Remus thought for a while then said,  
  
"What form does your Patronus take? If you are James son it should be a stag." Harry took out his wand and said,  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" And a silver stag erupted out of his wand. Remus' jaw dropped, the stag looked exactly like James when he transformed. The stag vanished, and Remus said,  
  
"Oh my God."  
  
"See, I was telling the truth."  
  
"But how can you be James' son? He didn't have any children."  
  
"I'm telling you, I'm from another world. I had a dream and this woman that looked exactly like my friend Hermione told me she was going to show me what the world would be like if I had never been born."  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, but it's just too far-fetched. Even for the wizarding world. I'm sorry." Remus went back into his house, leaving Harry standing outside. He turned to Lily and snapped, glaring at her,  
  
"Damnit, I told you I didn't want to talk with him, but you knew I would, that's why you brought me here." Lily looked at him calmly and said,  
  
"You wanted to see what life was like if you had never been born. You didn't have to tell him the truth." Harry laughed and said,  
  
"I'm sorry, but I honestly never thought I hear the words not telling him the truth come out of Hermione Granger's mouth." Lily looked at him and said,  
  
"Speaking of which, she's the last person you're going to see. And we're going to see her now."  
  
"I already saw her, she doesn't believe me either."  
  
"I'll explain later." She took Harry's hand and they were transported to Hogwarts again. Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall, reading a book, eating dinner. She looked up when she heard Harry coming. She said,  
  
"Oh, hello. Harry, isn't it?" Harry nodded, and said,  
  
"So, you still don't believe me?"  
  
"Well, I kind of do believe you. But you can understand why people wouldn't believe you, can't you? Think about it, put yourself in our place. How would you react if someone came and told you that they were your best friend when you had never seen them before?"  
  
"I'd probably think there was some Dark Magic going on."  
  
"Exactly. So you understand?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, you said in your world you and I are best friends, right?"  
  
"Yes, along with Ron."  
  
"And am I going out with Ron in that world too?"  
  
"N...wait a minute, you're going out with Ron?"  
  
"Yeah. Why, is it something that would be impossible in your world?" Hermione said, smiling. Harry shook his head and said,  
  
"No, it's not impossible, it's just unbelievable. I didn't know Ron felt that way about you."  
  
"Yeah, we've been going out since the beginning of fifth year." Harry nodded, and said,  
  
"Is he a good boyfriend? Like in treating you right and everything?"  
  
"Yeah, he is. He's sweet, and good to me. Why?"  
  
"Just checking. Don't know the Ron Weasley with a girlfriend part of him. He's never had one for as long as I can remember."  
  
"Interesting. How about me, am I the same?"  
  
"You look the same, you're a bookworm there too, and you're single." Hermione sighed, then laughed and said,  
  
"Well, I don't blame any guy for not wanting to go out with me."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Look at me."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'm ugly!" Harry shook his head and said,  
  
"You're far from ugly, Hermione." Hermione smiled and said,  
  
"Well, I'm glad I know you in your world Harry, you are one of the sweetest people I've ever met." Hermione looked at her watch and said,  
  
"Well, I have to go, how long will you be here?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Well, I'll see you in your world then."  
  
"Bye, Hermione."  
  
"Goodbye Harry." Hermione left, and Harry turned to Lily and said,  
  
"If she and Ron have been going out since 5th year, why aren't they in my world?"  
  
"Because of you."  
  
"What do I have to do with them going out?"  
  
"Hermione loves you. Ron knows it, and has never asked her out, he's waiting for you to do it."  
  
"Hermione loves me? Why?"  
  
"Look, just back there, talking with her, you're sweet, kind, look at yourself, you're handsome, there are a lot of girls who like you, but only Hermione knows the real Harry James Potter. The rest of the girls just like you because you're the Boy Who Lived. Hermione loves you for you. Since you weren't born, you weren't there for her to develop a crush on since first year, and to gradually fall in love with. So, she fell for Ron. She nevers says anything that would suggest that she loves you, but you can see it in her eyes if you take the time to look. She understands you, and you need each other. You may not see it yet, Harry, but you will." Harry, still in a state of shock said,  
  
"So, are Hermione and I destined for each other?"  
  
"That's something you have to figure out for yourself." They were silent then Lily said,  
  
"Now, Harry, this isn't your oridinary dream. It's a vision, that you have the choice. You can choose to go back to the world your familiar with, where your parents are both dead, your godfather is dead, you're the Boy Who Lived, the one who has the power to vanquish Voldemort, the one that Hermione Granger loves. Or, you can choose to make this world the right one, where you are never born, where your mother is alive, Sirius is alive but in jail, Neville is the one with the power to vanquish Lord Voldemort, Hermione and Ron are going out, and nobody will ever have heard of you. But, if you choose this world, you will cease to exist. You will disappear, for you chose the world where you were never born. Nobody will remember speaking with you, or will ever have heard of anyone named Harry James Potter. The choice is yours. What do you choose?" Harry thought about it, thinking of how people were in the world where he didn't exist, and how they were in his life. While he was thinking, Lily said,  
  
"You see Harry, you have an effect on more people than you think. You have been given a wonderful life. It be a shame to throw it away. When you've reached your decision, take my hand, and things will become as you chose. Harry took her hand, and Harry felt the jerk like traveling by Portkey, and he saw familiar pictures. James and Lily celebrating the fact that Lily was pregnant, the Potters holding their son for the first time, his parents getting killed, getting beat up by Dudley, finding out he was a wizard, making friends with Ron, being sorted, fighting off the troll in the girls bathroom, becoming friends with Hermione. Harry looked closely at Hermione, this time seeing the love in her eyes. The more memories he saw with her, the more he realized he had feelings for her. He reached the memory in the Department of Mysteries where Hermione was struck down by a Death Eater. Harry remembered the emptyness he felt for that moment he thought she was dead. The memories went on, to Sirius dieing, and finally the conversation with Hermione that got him into this situation in the first place. They stopped, and Harry woke up. Lily was nowhere to be found, and it was still the same time it was when Harry fell asleep. He put his glasses on, and went out into the common room.  
  
A/N: Well, I'm almost done, hope you all liked it so far. Still am not getting many reviews, and it's making me sort of sad. Please review, I want to know what you think. I'll try to have the next and final chapter posted ASAP  
  
Husker_fan_2006 


	7. A Wonderful Life

Chapter 7: A Wonderful Life  
  
Harry put on his glasses and opened the dormitory door and went to the common room. From the stairs he saw Hermione still sitting at a table, reading a book (like always). When she heard a stair creak, she looked up.  
  
"Harry, I thought you went to bed."  
  
"I know; I did."  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I just had the weirdest dream." He said with a slight smile.  
  
"What about?"  
  
"Let's just say I was given a gift for the day."  
  
"Alright, I push it, clearly you don't want to talk about it, so, but how could you have fallen asleep so fast? You only went upstairs ten minutes ago."  
  
"It wasn't your normal dream."  
  
"So, what did you need that you came down here?" Harry sat beside her, trying to think of the best way to do what he wanted to do, and said,  
  
"To give you this." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Hermione jumped and looked at Harry, shocked.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"Can't a guy give a girl a kiss without explaining why?"  
  
"When that guy is you, and that girl is me, then heck yeah you've gotta explain."  
  
"I've just realized something, in my dream, about you." Hermione looked at him skeptically, and said,  
  
"What about me?" Harry smiled, kissed her again and said,  
  
"You are like no other person I've ever met, Hermione."  
  
"Harry James Potter, what has gotten into you? First you give me a kiss, now you're saying that I'm like any other person you've ever met. Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"Perfectly fine, Hermione."  
  
"Then what is the reason for all this tonight?"  
  
"Ok, I'll tell you my dream. But you'll probably think I'm mad." Harry explained the dream, but left out the bit about Lily saying that Hermione loved him. When he finished, Hermione didn't have the look like she thought he was mad, but a look of interest.  
  
"Harry, that's amazing, but it doesn't sound like a regular dream. It's sort of like a supernatural sort of thing, where you could've chosen to not exist. That's really odd. But what does that have to do with you acting like this tonight?"  
  
"Lily, my guide, if you will, told me some interesting information about you. And my mother herself had some insights on us."  
  
"What did your mother say?"  
  
"She said that you sound like her in school, and I'm just like my dad. And that we'd probably end up together." Hermione's jaw dropped. She said,  
  
"And what did your guide say?"  
  
"She told me that, well first of all you have been going out with Ron since 5th year." Hermione snorted and laughed.  
  
"Me and Ron? Oh my God, that's a scary combination."  
  
"Then I asked her why you two weren't going out since 5th year in my world. And she told me it was because of me." Realizing how difficult it actually was to confront her about liking him, he stared at the floor and said,  
  
"It ridiculous, it's probably not true."  
  
"Harry, what did she say?"  
  
"She said that you loved me." Again, Hermione's jaw dropped. She said,  
  
"So you kissed me because of that?"  
  
"Yeah. It's kinda stupid I know, but..." Hermione interrupted him saying,  
  
"Actually, it was kind of romantic." She ended with a little laugh. Harry feebly smiled and said,  
  
"So, do you love me?" Hermione looked at him a while and said,  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you, Harry. The truth is, yeah, I do, and not just as best friends."  
  
"When I was going back to life as I knew it, I saw all my memories flashing by me. And I remembered all the things that you and I did together, and I remembered in the Department of Mysteries when I thought you were dead, I felt...empty. I guess what I'm trying to get to, is...that I love you too." Hermione looked him smiling, tears in her eyes. They leaned in and kissed. They pulled away and Harry smiled. Hermione said,  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing. Lily was right; it is a wonderful life."  
  
A/N: Hey, I finally finished it, and HOPEFULLY bring in more reviews. I'm a little leery on how everyone will like the ending, but I had a writer's block on how to end it. So, hopefully you like it.  
  
Huskerfan2006 


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